#ihateblocks

[slic3d--br3ad]

Arcane Order Eli has been on my mind for a few years. Eli is one of my favorite characters and has been since I joined the fandom sometime after season 2 aired; he's baby, yk? Bellroc and Skrael are sexy so full of potential that got crushed with the movie's release, which fuels my love for them. It's only natural I'd want to pair them up, which is challenging when Eli hasn't interacted with any of them in canon.

When it comes to Eli actually joining them, I've been stuck on what makes this twist of fate liable. The Arcane Order hates humanity, why would they accept this rando kid as one of them? Eli has probably the most sunny disposition of the cast, how on this green Earth would he get along with Bellroc and Skrael?

Now I'm at the point where I can post a concept that I agree with, though it surely needs some tweaks.

Eli's Side

• As we've seen at the ending of RotT, Toby isn't nearly as assertive against Steve's bullying and this continues for quite a bit even after becoming the Trollhunter. As a consequence, Steve doubles down on his bullying because no one has the nerve to humble him. Eli and Steve never become close enough to become the Creepslayerz and their relationship rots after they're paired together by Jim, who, missing the finer details of their friendship, assumes that they will become close eventually.

• Because they aren't friends, Eli doesn't bond with the Royals; he instead sees them as his bully's girlfriend/the girlfriend's brother, prompting him to keep them at arm's length for his own safety. Krel becomes the one to bond with Steve the most, though he vetos being called a Creepslayer lol.

• After being brought into the Guardians, his friendships don't seem to extend beyond talking at school. He obviously doesn't vibe with Steve, but Eli doesn't have a chance with the tight-knit Toby Trio. Douxie, Zoe, and Claire are the resident Wizards, and Eli obviously doesn't have magic(yet). Krel, being a tech genius, provides all the technological knowledge the group needs which makes his computer skills lackluster in comparison.

• Key events that previously led to Eli's discovery of the supernatural are disrupted; Jim already knows about Bular and the changelings using the museum, so there's no need to stake out Eli's house when he shows everyone the picture of the dead goblin. Toby can't keep a secret as cool as being able to form a suit of armor with a magical amulet (despite Jim's best effort lol) and manages to humble Steve sometime after Bular's defeat. Toby becomes Steve's go-to for reporting supernatural incidents, like the wild goblin in his garage. With no one believing him, Eli ultimately gives up on his conspiracy theories, instead opting for small self-improvement, like indulging in his love for scriptwriting or jogging at night.

• The supernatural worlds are gradually revealed to the public by Toby and Co., which leaves a bitter taste in Eli's mouth when he receives no credit for making his discoveries before them.

• All in all, Eli is left feeling unappreciated and isolated; Toby still entrusted a Troll Market key to him but Eli doesn't utilize it much and keeps his distance from their missions.

Arcane Order's Side

• Merlin, the only one aware of Jim's status as a time traveler, utilizes Jim's memories of the alternate universe to convince Morgana that she's on the wrong side of history so she deflects from the Order and kills her mind-broken brother to put him out of his misery. Whether time-travel shenanigans take place or not is in the air right now.

• Douxie levels up and KO's Bellroc and Skrael, the Guardians win, Merlin lives, the city remains under their protection, and the Arcane Order scurry away to plot for another 900 years...supposedly.

• Bellroc feels an odd connection to the town(actually the Heartstone below the town that they managed to briefly connect with in the movie) and risks their discovery to relocate their damaged ship behind the mountain and fix it up.

• Bellroc has generally been preoccupied with chasing Camelot around and has little time to indulge in hobbies; Skrael has slightly more freedom to chillax. As they hadn't quite written out the kinks in a wonky fixer-upper spell, Bellroc is drained after repairing the castle and comically tucks in for a week-long nap.

• Skrael takes it upon himself to explore their surroundings and perhaps find Nari in the town. Speaking of Nari, her magic signature is dulled with a device that Krel creates for her safety. Not even Merlin can track her while she wears the collar device so he decides that there's no need for her to flee while Douxie is around to keep his eye on her in the safety of Arcadia. Nari feels owned grateful for Merlin's wisdom and generosity and, while she has to keep a low profile and Merlin advises her against using her magic, she enjoys her time with the kiddos.

• The Arcane Order is now without a Champion and an Enforcer, while Nari shows no interest in returning to them; things 're tough for them at the moment.

• In hindsight, a mind-broken, undead king and a witch who worked for them on emotional impulse weren't the most ideal candidates to employ.

• What they really need is someone who's ready and willing to learn from them and fight for their cause with their own free will, but fat chance of that happening anytime soon lol.

Meeting

Their story starts after the battle between the Arcane Order and the Guardians of Arcadia, which happened around the same time as it happened in Wizards. Obviously, Eli doesn't become the ambassador of Akiridian-5 and only has surface-level knowledge of the events.

Eli finds Skrael entirely by accident while running in the forest, still habitually accustomed to staying up late working on his conspiracy board; when Skrael tries to leave, he grabs onto them and is teleported to the castle. This wakes Bellroc, who's a little peeved at being disturbed two days into their nap and is like "!!????"

Eli is not aware that they are the ones who caused a bunch of damage to the town recently. Seeing the majesty of their newly repaired castle is the tipping point Eli needs to finally geek out over something supernatural after restraining himself for months.

He fawns over the castle, strokes their egos a bit (which saves his life, because it's a smidge harder to kill someone who's being nice to them), and asks them if someone like him has any chance at learning magic.

Bellroc and Skrael are baffled at this twist of fate and while they certainly debate killing him, they drop it after Eli innocently tells them that he's a part-timer for the Guardians(and if they are lost wizards needing advice from the Great and All-Powerful Merlin then he can work something out blahblahblah).

Offing the guy would risk Merlin's suspicion and him striking them in a weakened state would be a major blow, like kicking a wasp's nest.

Sleepy Bellroc isn't really in their right mind but nonetheless has an idea and decides the best way to get rid of this human without homicide is by accepting his request to learn magic.

No, really.

Sleepy Bellroc plays along with his delusion of magical expertise and, after giving him a few dozen sheets that make up a single beginner's spell, makes him an offer: if he learns that spell within the week, less than five days at this point, entirely by himself, Bellroc will accept him as their apprentice. If he fails, however, he has to consent to a memory wipe of the past week and get lost. Eli accepts.

Skrael, in shock at Bellroc's supposed generosity, looks over this "beginner's spell" they gave to the boy. He quickly picks up on Bellroc's trickery and wishes Eli the best of luck before taking him back to the forest.

What Eli doesn't know is that the papers (translated to English for his convenience) are actually the directions for performing a combat spell that even young master wizards can have trouble with; about as far from the basics as a wizard can get. In other words, Eli will fail no matter how hard he tries and get his memory wiped and probably chucked off a small cliff to pass off his memory loss as an accident. Skrael can't wait to bear witness to the greatest prank ever.

Unfortunately, they severely underestimate Eli's reawakened enthusiasm for the supernatural and intense desire to belong in a group. Fueled on nothing but coffee, dreams, and that happy feeling of having passion for something new, he manages to awaken the magic inside him. Accident, or perhaps fate?

With a rough estimate from Douxie (who takes his secrecy at face value and innocently wants him to succeed) that a new spell on a beginner's level takes a few hours to around 3 days to learn, Eli manages to pull it off within 4 days, just hours before his deadline. All in all, Bellroc is pissed at his success but doesn't want to pull back on a promise. Skrael just thinks it's hysterical that Bellroc's trick completely backfired on them and is engaged in the progress of his companion's bizarre new apprentice.

Bellroc's method of "teaching", while unorthodox and not at all providing their desired result, has some basis in reality: not specifying to someone that a task is supposed to be "hard" can increase the likelihood that they can complete that task with little struggle. (Get Anyone To Do Anything! David J. Lieberman!) This doesn't work on everyone but it worked on Eli lol.

[babblish]

20 questions of fic writers

Thanks for the tag @creativenicocorner!

Tagging: @dreamcrow @renee561 @megan0013 @ihateblocks I know it's NaNoWriMo so feel to ignore this one this busy season, but likewise if you're not tagged and wished to join in, feel free to do so. 🤔 I feel like I'm forgetting several people as it is.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

20 (and 1 draft)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

710,674 so far (it should be 717,602 once the draft is published)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Tales of Arcadia, Dungeons and Dragons TTRPG, and this other one I won't share because I haven't finished the goddamn draft for yet and as such haven't published.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Under the Wave

Primordial Awakenings

Whispers Within

Honey and Lemon

Primordial Awakenings - Deleted Scenes

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, always, and I try to give out as much as the commenter puts in. So an emoji gets an emoji, a paragraph gets a paragraph, a short essay gets an essay, etc. I do this because I think it's nice balanced response policy and I don't want to overwhelm readers who sent a short sentence of approval with a wall of text over how I think they're great (even though they are, in fact, quite great.)

6. What's the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

🤔Under the Sun: The White Rabbit.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Whispers Within.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not directly, certainly not in the comments of a fic. I know my ships and blorbos are not popular with everyone, but honestly this is how it's always been. I typically like writing the weirdos and cardboard cutout characters who get/got treated dirty in canon.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes I do now. I put it off for a long time because I wasn't confident writing it enough to share it publicly, but I started publishing that kind of thing last year in attempt to Get Good.

It's essentially a personal exercise routine, highly recommend this to anyone struggling with a particular element of writing. Obviously it doesn't have to be even remotely spicy, I know not everyone is comfortable writing that kind of thing and I certainly expect anyone to read mine. It's just I was struggling with interpersonal physical interactions, choreography if you will, and the easiest way to practice these was either smut or combat scenes, and combat scenes seemed kind of a massive downer.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

To the best of my knowledge, I have never in my life written a crossover, nor do I currently have any wish to. The absolute closest has gotta be including a lot of OCs to fill roles that aren't quite filled in the canon cast, which as we all know is not quite the same. Full respect to our troops in the crossover trenches, I just don't think I have a brain that works like that.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I've definitely had art stolen (rip that one cute gnome PC I did for a friend), but never a fic... to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but I've had my grammar and spelling corrected once or twice when I attempted a language I am not fluent in and made mistakes. (I owe you my life.)

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have co-written before, back in the day, and I'm not taking about rp forums but the dark fantasy/sci-fi writing project I shared as a teen with my brother and friend at the time. For fic specifically I've only beta'd.

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

As a polyamorous multishipper this is a homophobic question. There's room on my top shelf for as many I want. 🤔 Many are Morticia and Gomez Addams shaped, or whatever the fuck was happening in The Road to El Dorado shaped, one has to admit.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Eugh probably The Homework Squad (a ToA fic with multiple PoV about Strickler's time as a teacher before he left that position.) Maybe I'll get to it one day, but I have so many other fics I'd much rather be working on now.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I've been told that I am very good at character voices and dialogue, and that I have the ability to control the tension of any given scene with pinpoint accuracy and twist the mood like a knife in the reader's heart without it seeming unnatural. This might be my dark fantasy background coming to the surface, ngl.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

These are such things that gets mentioned less in feedback because it would be a dick mood unprompted, but speaking as someone with no beta beyond myself and an ereader, I know that sometimes my prose can be stiff and awkward, and my sentences err towards the unwieldy to the point that reading aloud can be difficult.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

Sometimes different languages can be important to the plot and characterisation, and in these cases I do write dialogue in other languages but also include translation RIGHT THERE for the readers instead of clumped down at bottom notes of the chapter.

Otherwise I will include a helpful little note in the dialogue tag to indicate if the speaker has switched languages.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Tales of Arcadia.

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

It's probably Primordial Awakenings, but again I still have a soft spot for Whispers Within, and most if not all of my fics really. I pour a lot of myself into my fics, so they represent not just the fic themselves, but the particular time in my life when I was writing them.

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

Ajim for 45?

Any special dreams or goals they have as a couple? Any heartbreaks? Regrets?

To get to live together happily is pretty high on their list of goals/dreams.  Because they come from two separate planets and each hold an important role on their respective one, Aja and Jim worry that their duties and responsibilities will one day take them away from each other (they haven’t yet so far, but both Aja and Jim wonder if that day is in fact coming).

They break up once, when there’s simultaneous conflicts going on on Earth and on Akiridion-5.  Aja and Jim still love each other, but it’s too much of a strain while they’re trying to maintain peace on their home worlds.  They agree a mutual breakup is the best thing for their planets at the time, though it breaks both their hearts.

Their breakup is something both Aja and Jim immensely regret.  Later, when things have calmed down on their planets, they meet again at a political gala function as representatives of Earth and Akiridion-5.  Both Aja and Jim assume the other has moved on.  They spend some time dancing around their mutual feelings for each other before admitting to them and getting together again.

[yellowmagicalgirl]

Steve and Eli for the Hogwarts houses

Okay, I’ll admit it. I was hinting at these two when I was writing up my Claire analysis. Also, yes, I know they’re in 3Below, usual disclaimer applies.

Steve - Gryffindor. He’s a ruff boy, a fighty boy. His reason for joining the team, okay, yes, it was originally goblins. However, he was the one who wanted to fight and save the town from Jim, and then later from Jim’s enemies based on further evidence that his classmate isn’t an evil shapeshifting troll.

Eli - Ravenclaw. His original reason for joining the team, heck, for accidentally kickstarting some of the plot, was that he was curious. He wanted to find out more about the creepers of Arcadia Oaks.

Send me 2-5 characters, and I’l tell you what Hogwarts house I think they should be in.

[lesbian-aja]

Aja, Krel, and Steve's reactions to Eli being trans(because I'm a hoe for trans!Eli).

listen trans Eli is absolutely amazing, 10/10, perfection, also this kinda turned into ideas for how he comes out as well oops 

Steve finds out about it first on accident

Eli’s relatives are visiting town and when Steve comes over to Eli’s house, he hears someone calling Eli “Leslie” 

he waits for like a minute outside the door before knocking because when he peeks through the window Eli looks upset

long story short he kinda rescues Eli from having to deal with his relatives 

when he asks what that was all about Eli pauses before mumbling about “not being out to my cousins yet” 

it takes Steve a minute to get it but when he finally does he just hugs Eli and says that he’s here for him

later he apologizes specifically for having called Eli “Leslie” when he was bullying him (alongside the other apologies for pretty much everything)

Aja and Krel find out about it when they’re all on a mission doing something and Eli gets hurt

nothing serious, he like falls down a hill or something and gets cut up by pebbles or something 

but there’s a gash on his side that they insist on checking out because “what if it gets infected, we just have to make sure it’ll be alright”

he’s hesitant about it because he wants to just get on with what they were doing but he lets them patch it up

once they’re done Aja asks why he was wearing that undershirt, isn’t it too hot outside? 

Steve’s about to jump in and say it’s none of their business but Eli stops him and explains that it’s a binder

they’re both super supportive of course

Krel asks him if Eli would be okay with him designing a better binder for him that would be safer to wear for longer

Aja decides to learn more about issues Eli might face so she can help defend him when the time comes

they’re both always willing to learn more to help their friend

all of them are super helpful and supportive and stand up for him and even though Eli has to deal with a lot of stuff they’re always there for him

[trollmarket-dog]

So, what do you expect from 3 Below?

Well from what I’ve heard, I know that it’s going to be lighter and wackier in tone. And honestly, I really am hoping it is! I am kind of excited about having something of a pallete cleanser after the ending of Trollhunters, which was rather dark and extremely bittersweet. 

All I expect is really to get to see more Aja and Krel and explore their story, and I’m sure I won’t be disappointed in that at least! 

It’ll be neat to see perspectives of different and new characters but in the same setting, and hopefully dealing with the aftermath of what happened in Trollhunters. 

[cheydoesfandom]

So, like, how about a drabble where Eli and Steve are carving pumpkins with Aja and Krel and explaining what Halloween is? Then Steve winds up accidentally cutting his hand while looking at Eli as he talks about the history of Halloween. Y'know, like a dumbass in love? 🎃

oh man, I LOVE the idea of Steve and Eli sharing human traditions with Krel and Aja!

I imagine carving pumpkins is probably one of Steve’s favorite parts of the holiday, since he gets to take a knife to a gourd and is allowed to put his frustrations and aggression into carving it up and tearing it’s guts out. He probably likes to make creatively gruesome jack-o-lanterns, using the pulpy insides as brains or “organs” spilling from his creations. It probably upsets his mom a little, but at least it’s a safe way for him to express himself, and it’s not so bad.

Eli is probably more artistic with his, making those cool half-cut portraits. Of his family or friends or of monsters he’s seen.

(again, this got a little long, and also: why can’t I pick one verb tense today??)

They teach Krel and Aja the basics, and then all four of them set to work, the two experienced carvers giving tips and assistance where it’s needed, while preparing some of their best work, just to show how great it can look.

Steve gets into the zone for a bit, but when Eli starts to answer Aja’s question about why they’re doing this, he gets distracted. Eli brightens up so much when he’s talking about something he likes. When he knows what he’s talking about, and especially when it’s something he’s passionate about. And Steve wouldn’t have expected pumpkin carving to be one of those things, but.

You can never tell with Eli, honestly. He was into some of the weirdest things.

Krel and Aja kept interrupting with more questions, most of which Eli answered easily enough, smiling and laughing, while Steve listened. And watched.

And yeah, okay, maybe Steve stared a little, but it wasn’t his fault that Eli’s eyes got all shiny and his face seemed to literally light up and his smile was so cute and--

Steve jumped in surprise, looking down with a curse. His hand was bleeding. He dropped the knife he’d been using, and great, he’d messed up the face, but maybe it could be salvaged. Make it into a deformity or a scar on the jack-o-lantern. But before he could even start to assess his injury, Eli was beside him, taking his hand and opening the first aid kit he always carried.

Steve whined and tried to pull away, insisting he was fine, it was just a little scratch, but Eli looked up at him with that stern, determined look, and Steve couldn’t help sighing and letting him clean and bandage his hand. But he definitely sighed and pouted about it. A lot.

[corelex]

Bonus for @ihateblocks and @craccisnacc:

[jim-lake]

Finished request for @ihateblocks

Shoved in the extra time to finish this up! The style didn’t turn out 100% how I planned, but I like it! (I’m still v bad at drawing hands sooooo ignore them aha)

[diedieri]

Trick or Drink - Creepslayerzweek Day #1

@ihateblocks asked “ Yesss, how do you think things would turn out if Steve ends up dragging Eli to a Halloween party with him? And while they're having a good time, someone Spikes the Punch™ and when Eli drinks some, he gets drunk a while later so Steve has to walk him home? Drunk and funny shenanigans happen. “

I’m a loser who doesn’t know how to answer asks with a read more so I don’t have a wall of text. Thank you so much for the suggestion, I hope you enjoy this treat! I legit had thoughts about this exact scene so I was super ready to write this! :D

Rule number one of a house party, don’t go alone. Rule number two, don’t drink from an open cup. It was not that Steve did not trust his classmates and teammates. Most of them were great! These were just the rules taught to him by his once seniors, so forth and so on. He’d been behind the counter with Mary Wang, inspecting what wasn’t locked up. Whipped Vodka, Rumchatta, Fireball, and straight Vodka. Not a bad selection, Vodka was also easy to fill back up.

“As long as they don’t try to freeze it,” Steve laughed. Before ghost-hunting and creep-catching with Elijah, time was spent with his sports team. He smoked. He drank. Nothing great, just a way to keep from being miserable. Drinking and smoking weren’t bad, in controlled proportions. No driving, the seniors said. If you need to puke, do it before bed. Eat a lot of bread. More rules to remember.

 “Oh shit, Mary.” Steve, one beer in, jumped back from the witches’ brew bowl of punch. The treat had been a pure-Halloween treat, fruit punch, sherbet, gummy worms, and jolly ranchers. Mary’s pointed flick of her wrists added a trick—vodka and fireball. A real way to warm this party up. “You’re nasty, that’s gross.” Mary poured him a cup brimming to the rim, rolling her eyes, “go on. Try it Palchuk.”

 His lips curled into a grin, not bad. A strange mix of flavors and the cinnamon tickled his tongue. “You’ll get away with it this time,” He warned.

 “Yeah, now, tight jeans Hank is here. So. I gotta go.” It worked out for the best, his pocket buzzed.

 ‘Can you come back…?’

 Dating was hard. Steve and Eli were open about their relationship, it only took a year. He told the team he’d be coming to the party with his boyfriend. The guys thought he was joking, an early Halloween prank. There was joking, teasing, and only one punch before Steve thought going together would be okay. Eli had never been to a party. Steve was dividing his time between him and socializing. He tried having Elijah tag along. He only looked more miserable and settled for waiting by the back door away from the heart of the party. For the Mole’s it was a tradition to wear togas as a team to the Halloween party. Only seniors were allowed to dawn burgundy sashes and Laurel wreathes. A bronze belt buckle held the fabric together, their team number etched into the piece. Handed down, senior to senior. Just the buckle and sash, it was up to you to find your own bedsheet. Steve gagged at the thought of a used one, the possibilities done on the fabric (much of which where in his own plans).

 ‘I’m on the first floor, against the wall, by the sliding door.’

 Exactly where Steve had left him. Claire was supposed to keep him company! She had other things in mind, sitting in Jim’s lap, talking Aja’s ear off.  He raised his glass as he passed. Lake still wasn’t his favorite; Steve and Claire still went to Papaskullz concerts together. It was nice to piss Jim off, though Eli and Claire were rubbing off on him. Lake wasn’t completely-entirely-the pits.

 The crowd parted for Steve. White toga, burgundy sash. If that weren’t enough he was Steve Palchuk. He did not shimmy his shoulders or say excuse me once. “Hey Pep,” Steve’s shoulders fell an inch. Maybe it was the beer in him or he didn’t care who saw. He leaned over and kissed his cheek. It was only their second kiss in public. How could he not? Elijah’s outfit was perfect. Grey sweat pants, grey hoodie with a felted pink belly and tail, with matching pink Chucks. His nose painted black with whiskers. Morons called him a cat, “Such a cute kitty.” Steve kissed his neck.

 “You have no idea. C’mon, I’m Pepperjack. I’m obviously a mouse!”

 Steve knew, if only Eli wasn’t so cute when he pouted.

 “Thanks for coming back,” Elijah clasped their hands together. Parties weren’t his thing. He’d much rather spend Halloween in an abandoned building. Because that was relaxing?

 “Thanks for coming.” Steve thanked him twice earlier, seeing Elijah rub his arms and pick at his hoodie made him say it again. He appreciated Eli letting him keep with tradition and being together.

 “Oh? Is that for me,” Elijah took the red cup and shook his head. He was nearing his limit, drink the punch quick and go home.

 “Oh-oh…Okay you just drank that all. Okay. Cool.” Elijah handed the empty cup back to Steve, he tipped it over, honestly impressed. Maybe, hopefully, there wasn’t that much alcohol.

 The first giggle was cute. Typical. Welcomed.

 The second and third three-minute-long giggle fests were a bit of a concern.  Steve grinned, sitting cross legged with Elijah practically sitting on him. Their knees overlapped. Elijah spoke with his hands, his words slurring, the motions sort of made up for it. “Uh-huh,” Steve prodded him on. Took only ten minutes for the booze to kick in and Eli was on fire.

 “And-And he called me a cat! Can you believe that?”

 “No shit?”

 “No.”

 He was Toby, Steve heard this story twice already. It ended with Toby groaning that Elijah called him a shadow (on purpose), Toby was a ninja.

 “And-and….”

 “And?” Steve took Eli’s hand now that it wasn’t swinging around.

 Elijah’s lips slipped into a lazy smile, “I wanna kiss you.” Steve didn’t complain when Elijah leaned over, “Oh-shit, Pep.” He caught Eli by the shoulder. He wouldn’t have fell far, but him falling at all was a bit of concern. He wasn’t embarrassed, smiling still. That definitely wasn’t normal.

 “Alright. Hey. You sit right here, babe. I’m going to tell the guys I’m ducking out.” He’d be gone two minutes at most. Turns out chanting, grunting, and a quasi-pep rallying took about fifteen. Eli was not in the state left in either. His laughing louder, his head rolling to one side and then the other. Beside him, Colby, with an empty red solo cup.

 “Fuck. You didn’t give him that?”

 “Yeah. ‘Sup?”

 “It’s spiked.” Steve’s arm snaked around Elijah’s waist, securing him to his side. Not that he needed to, Elijah melted into him like a stick of butter.

 “Well that explains why it didn’t taste like shit anymore,” he grinned with a snicker. “You got him, dude?”

 “Yeah. So…What the heck are you supposed to be?” Steve didn’t get it ‘Doo-doo-do-doo-dee-doo’ Really? Was he wearing a shirt about shit?

 “You are such uneducated garbage.” Colby pressed his hand to Elijah’s cheek, “Hey you? Yeah, you with the grin. Tell your boyfriend you want an X-Files marathon.”

 “Ohmygod. Steve? Are we going to go watch Scully and Mulder?’ Eli popped up and bopped his head on Colby’s chin. Gladly, Steve took his turn to snicker.

 “Uhh, yeah babe, totally!” He’d been worried Elijah would turn into a disagreeable drunk, being that he was so complacent normally.  His arm jerked forward, his chest lurching forward in a sudden thrust.

 “Later Colby.”

 “Later Palchuk.”

 Elijah weaved and got stuck, their arms going taut until Steve closed the spaces between them. The crowd parted. Eli didn’t slow down until outside, “ahh~” He breathed, arms out stretched. His body tilted back, caught by Steve’s hands.

 “C’mon.”

 “Heh. ‘Kay.” Elijah bounced and Steve kept up the pace. They’d have four blocks to walk, no time to sober up, and Steve hadn’t heard from his mom what time she and coach would be getting back. At least, they had already gotten permission to stay the night over at Steve’s. He had never intending on letting Elijah drink, but he didn’t want to be caught dead with an ounce of intoxication on the Pepperjack premises.

 “Steve!”

 Saved by the Pep.

 “Hm?” His arm sidled around Elijah’s waist, keeping their pace and the other upright.

 “It’s our anniversary.”

 “Uh, that was last week Pep.” When he officially came out of the closet, dating in secret was eating away at Elijah and if he was being honest, himself.

 “Nono! Not that anniversary. Pssh. Old news. Who’s counting?”

 Steve knew, Eli was, he planned a whole date week for the two of them. “What am I forgetting?”

 “The first time we saw a ghost together.”

 “Ah yes, Casper. Our Cupid.” He was being sarcastic, it’d be funny if it wasn’t ironic.

 “I. LOVE. STEVE!” Elijah yelled without hesitation. Steve’s hands quickly covered in slobber, brushing against Elijah’s mouth as he laughed, having zero luck in keeping him quiet.

 “Sh-shshh,” He wasn’t convincing, still snickering, blushing. This was supposed to be a big moment! Elijah just SCREAMED the L-word! Elijah wiggled and squirmed out from under his hand. “He’s my boyfriend!” Elijah laughed again, screaming at still hopeful trick-or-treaters. Steve hugged him to his chest, walking Elijah backwards. His body warm against his, growing warmer with every laugh.

 “Leslie, if you don’t cool it…”

 “Leslie!” Elijah bellowed, his attempts to jump back foiled by Steve’s hug to his chest. “Leslie. Yeah. That’s me. You’re dating LESLIE.”

 “I’m dating a drunk shit.” Steve mouthed against his lips, hoping to offer some distraction. They were getting close; his fucking luck Ms. Pepperjack would be rounding the corner.

 “Hey,” Eli whispered, the kiss taking effect.

 “Yeah?”

 “Can I wear your flower?”

 “It’s a Laurel.” Steve corrected, Elijah was drunk he’d never have another chance to one up him.

 “Yeah.”

 Steve plucked the leaf wreath from his head and plopped it onto Elijah’s. His eyes lit up, wide and hazy, but elated. Steve stroked his cheek, shivering at the wind on his bare arms. They were close, he could stand it for the moment. The cold was good to sober Eli up anyhow.

 “After I get you some water and you’re a little less tipsy, can you tell me that again?”

 Eli leaned back, grinning as Steve used one arm to pull him back again. “What?” He asked, cheeks rosy from the cold, the alcohol, the possibilities to be had on the sheets.

 “That you love me.” Steve kissed him softly, he wouldn’t get to do more until Elijah sobered up. But not kissing was impossible. Not when he was thinking about what Elijah saying those words could mean.

 “If you say you love me back.”

 “Nah.”

 “What?!” Elijah gawked.

 “Trick-or-treat.”

 “You buttsnack!”

 Steve snickered.

 “Steve! C’monnn” Elijah grabbed his shoulders, attempting to shake him but succeed in only moving himself. “The good candy. Not the cheap stuff, no tootsie roll equivalent like ‘you too’.”

 He had intending on saying it when both of them were sober. Drunk Eli however, had demands. Who was he to deny them?

 “I love you, Pepper.”

 “Whoa…That was like…King size candy.”

 “Well. I am Steve Palchuk. Spring Fling King, two years running. And you, my little mouse,” Steve nuzzled his head into Elijah’s neck, eliciting another eruption of giggles. “Are the love of my life. And if you sober up, maybe we can go ghost hunt.”

 No words could have been sweeter.

 “I love you, Steve.”

 Except those four exactly.

[slic3d--br3ad]

Douxie cuts up a melon for himself, Archie, and Nari to enjoy on a hot summer day.

While he and Archie only eat the soft flesh and maybe chew the rinds, Nari will eat the whole damn slice. She will eat the rinds, including the ones that Douxie and Archie don't want, and no seeds are allowed to be thrown out in herthis household; she'll either eat them or keep them for future uses.

The hardest choice that Nari has had to make to date.

Text: returning to the Arcane Order (in cursive)

cons:

-the world is reborn

-these two (Bellroc and Skrael)

pros:

-I don't have to see this shit

-these two (Bellroc and Skrael)

[gaydouxie]

@ihateblocks its been a thing for a while, people use the "toxic relationship" excuse to try and gotcha steli shippers and act as though its the worst thing in the world. even though that argument could be made for stricklake, dromura, or even blaaarghy, since theres also people in those relationships who had killed/manipulated people (which is so weird in comparison to a teenager being raised badly and not knowing how to express his feelings other than through bullying). anyway im pretty sure its just bc of homophobia lmao!!!

[im-the-king-of-the-ocean]

How about Draal x Zadra or Krel x Steve?

I’ll do Krel x Steve

who’s the cuddler: Steve. Toxic masculinity robbed my boy of being able to have physical affection for the longest time.  So, now that he can have it, he loves it.

who makes the bed: Neither.  These boys live by their own rules of organized chaos.

who wakes up first:They get up at around the same time and go through the morning bleary-eyed.

who has the weird taste in music: Krel.  He likes experimenting, whereas Steve tends to stick with more mainstream tunes.

who is more protective: Steve, once he finds out about all the times Krel’s been knocked out.  Though, Krel does worry for his human oaf quite a bit as well.

who sings in the shower: Steve, very poorly but very passionately.

who cries during movies: Steve.  He’s a true softy at heart.

who spends the most while out shopping: Krel.  He likes tinkering with new gadgets and gets excited when he sees a new piece of human tech he can mess with.

who kisses more roughly: Krel, because he assumes Steve has strength similar to him.  It takes him a bit to realize Akiridions are just a bit stronger than humans.

who is more dominate: They both think they are, but in fact they’re just really good at communicating when they do get together.

my rating of the ship from 1-10: 7/10.  I haven’t considered it before now.  I can sort of see the appeal, but it doesn’t resonate with me as other ships have in the past.

[stujet9]

I was tagged by @megalilliemorris ! 

It’s time to get to know me I guess!

Rules: Answer 21 questions about yourself and then tag 21 people who you want to get to know better.

Nickname: Stu, Gus, and Crazy Kacey

Zodiac: Virgo (August 24)

Height: 5′5″

Last movie I saw: Avengers: Infinity Wars

The last thing googled: Khaki Pants

Favorite musician: Infected Mushroom

Song stuck in my head: Bad Liar by Imagine Dragons

Other blogs: This is my only one, but I’m thinking about starting an Economics blog.

Do I get asks: Once in a while. Ask away, my dudes.

How many followers: 126

Amount of sleep: 5 to 10 hours depending

Lucky number: 17 hands down.

What am I wearing: Flowery legging and a Chicago Cubs baseball tee.

Dream job: Professor of Economics at a nice University

Dream trip: A economic development research trip in Russia

Favorite food: Gyros

Play an instrument: The Flute!

Languages: English, American Sign Language, and I’m learning Russian right now!

Random Fact: I’m in a triad polyamorous relationship. 

Describe yourself as aesthetic things: Confetti, glitter, beanies, soft cuddles, and cats, and a nice blue color scheme.

@tumbly-waterdragon @ihateblocks @captainmylifeisfandoms

I’m only tagging three lol

[lesbian-aja]

While it's still the fourth of July, Aja & Krel w/Steli + fireworks.

ended up going with a hc list for this, hope you don’t mind!

once they see all the TNT Fireworks sale stands popping up around town they know they have to get something set up with Aja and Krel

it started as a surprise for them but as usual they got busted immediately

Aja caught them trying to stuff three boxes of assorted fireworks onto Steve’s vespa and it ended up with the siblings just helping them carry them all because there was no way they’d be safe riding with that many explosives on a damn vespa

once they explain what the fireworks are and how they work, Krel immediately wants to find a way to make them better with his tech

cue 80′s montage of him getting things blown up in his face multiple times. farewell perfect eyebrows

when fourth of july comes, they set everything up at Eli’s house because his parents are out at some other barbecue. 

Steve sets up a little bbq of their own in the backyard (and totally has Coach show him beforehand how to do it correctly so he can make something edible)

they mess around with the little handheld sparklers before the sun even sets. Aja and Eli absolutely swordfight with them (until they burn their hands) (they keep doing it anyways)

Krel sets up some music for them and its like their own perfect little party. he and Aja show Steve and Eli some Cantalupian (???) dance moves and Eli shows them how to do some Earth dances. fun is had by all

when it starts getting dark they haul all the big modified fireworks up onto the roof and sit to watch all of the colours as the sun fades. Steve tries to awkwardly flirt for a minute with Eli before Eli just turns bright red and grabs Steve’s hand

(Eli totally hadn’t been preparing for this moment with Aja’s encouragement for the past five days what’re you talking about)

(Steve totally hadn’t been preparing for this moment with Aja’s encouragement for the past five days what’re you talking about)

once it gets dark enough the show begins. Steve helps Krel line up all the fireworks and gives Aja the honour of lighting the first fuse.

all of Arcadia can see the first firework when it goes off: a giant, overarching rainbow of light raining from the sky for at least a half-mile radius

the rest of them are just as good, and there’s enough to last them for a decent while

they sit on the roof and cheer when Krel sets them off because damn did he do a good job modifying them

at the end of them all Krel lights up the last one and sits down next to them all. they can still hear the music faintly playing beneath them while they watch the last set of explosions light up the sky. Eli’s holding Steve’s hand and leaning on his shoulder while Steve smiles at him, Aja is holding both Eli’s and Krel’s hands as she grins up at the fireworks in awe, and Krel is looking at them all with joy in his heart. they’re all just so happy to be there with each other

i will die for found family tropes don’t @ me fgljf

[infographicisminetocommand]

Crabs or cats?

Cats.